Living Forever In A World of Twilight
by XxAyu-chanxX
Summary: The original characters are back once more with the Heartless and the Organization. However, Riku seems to fin the newest addition to the team to be quite interesting. What will happen on this new adventure to save the world? RikuxOC. Does not follow game story line whatsoever. Rated T to be safe
1. Chapter 1

The heartless and the Organization had been plaguing world for a very long while. Not many people knew that there were different worlds out there. They were all so naïve, to a certain extent, of just how vast the universe was. There were different places to see, people to meet, and different types of cultures and backgrounds. Some were more fortunate than others to learn the real secrets. Then there were some, like the key bearer, that had to save it all. The key bearer was a legendary human that got the blessing to wield the power of the key blade. When that time came, danger was a foot. The worlds needed saving. When that those times came, a boy named Sora and his friends saved everyone. We all thought everything was finally calm and peaceful. But we were wrong.

I sighed as I propped my feet against the dashboard of my Gummi Ship. I leaned back in the chair and rested my arms behind my head. I was tired and I really wanted to nap! I closed my eyes and settled into my chair. It was going to be a long ride back to where I was headed. I felt like my eyes would catch on fire if I didn't sleep soon. I had been awake for almost 24 hours straight. It was time to sleep!

I was suddenly thrown from my chair, smacking into the side of the ship. I winced, getting up quickly. I threw myself back into the pilot's chair, strapping myself in tightly. I looked down at my radar and cursed as I saw at least a dozen Heartless ships at my back. I hit a series of buttons, trying to get the guns to come. I was planning on whipping the ship around, and taking on as many as I could. However, the error message that popped up on my screen told me I would be running as quickly as I could. I didn't think I would make it to my destination safely, but I had to try.

After smacking a few more buttons, I firmly gripped the wheel, preparing myself. My hyper speed kicked it, shooting me forward. However, after a few moments, the Heartless showed up behind me. I smashed my fist off the steering wheel, and quickly brought up the map. There was a small world not that far from my current location. I'm hoping I would be able to get them off my tail by diverting my course. I cut the wheel and headed that way, weaving my way in and out of the asteroids. I hoped I would lose them, and from the looks of things, I had. I sighed, still deciding to land on that small little world anyway.

I got ready for landing, trying to push the wheel forward to slow my descent. "Shit," I hissed to myself, practically body slamming the wheel to get it to go down. Nothing I did worked. I kept myself strapped in tightly, as I watched myself get closer and closer to the water. I shut my eyes, taking a deep breath, trying to stay calm. I felt the impact, the ship tried to throw me every which way, but my restraints had been tight enough. As I sank, the glass of the dome started to crack. I worked myself out of my restraints quickly and efficiently. I ran to the back, grabbing the most essential things. Clothes, and possibly food that wouldn't get ruined. I made my way back to the front of the ship, getting ready to bust the glass. I took a few deep breaths, trying to prepare myself for the water crashing down on me. I took one last breath and held it.

I raised my hand to the glass and shot a fireball at it. The water crashed down on me so quickly and so hard, the breath I had held onto was almost knocked out of my lungs. I put my backpack on my shoulders, and started swimming towards the surface. I kicked my legs hard and fast, trying to get there before the air in my lungs wanted out. I could already feel the burning urge to attempt to suck in air. I ignored it as I got even closer to the surface. As soon as my head broke out into the open air, I gasped for fresh breath. I panted, keeping myself afloat for a moment, trying to regain my strength.

Once I got my bearings, I looked around and saw a small island to my left. It was made of a bunch of ramshackle little buildings. I decided to go ahead and swim over to that. I needed to rest. All of my adrenaline wore off at once, leaving me exhausted. I made my way to the beach, and crawled up onto shore. I left my pack beside me, and took a moment to rest. I closed my eyes against the hot sun, just needing a moment to rest. Before I knew it, I had fallen asleep.

[/\/\/\/Everything is fading into forgotten dreams and memories/\/\/\/]

I felt something prodding at my shoulder and frowned. I swatted at whatever it was and turned over. My body still felt heavy, and I wasn't sure if it was from exhaustion, or from the fact that I was still soaking wet. I wanted to sleep. The sun and the sand were just so warm, and inviting. A small smile slipped on my lips. This place just had to be perfect. I already loved it here. A few more seconds passed before my thoughts were interrupted and someone grabbed my shoulder and started shaking me, this time.

"Hey! I know you're not dead. Are you ok?" A voice said, right next to me.

My eyes flew open and I flopped onto my back. The face that met mine looked familiar, yet not. I furrowed my brow and studied him for a moment. His eyes were the most beautiful blue I had ever seen before, almost as blue as the ocean I had just crawled out of. He had a face that was just coming out of boyhood, and the start of becoming a man was starting to show in the way his chin was squared, and the slight definition of his jaw. He had a little chub to his cheeks, but he was still cute.

"Who are you?" I croaked as I rubbed my eyes.

"I'm Sora. I live on these islands. I think the more important question here is, who are _you_?" the boy said with a friendly smile.

"Azreal. I crash landed in the ocean," I said honestly.

"You're from… a different world?!" He asked with surprise.

I nodded as I sat up.

"You look like you've had one heck of a trip. Come with me. We'll get you showered, cleaned up, and some food in your stomach. Sound good?" He asked, holding his hand out to me.

I took his hand and he tugged me to my feet. I grabbed all of my long, black locks and pulled them into a pony tail. I was covered in sand, and I didn't really care. I threw my back pack over my shoulders, and followed him to a small dock with a little row boat tied to it. He got in, helping me in after him. I plopped down, making the little boat rock a bit, but once it calmed down, Sora got us under way.

"So how did you manage to crash land here?" He asked.

"My Gummi Ship was attacked by Heartless and they jammed my guns and a bunch of other important parts." My reply was absent minded. I didn't think to really lie to him.

"The Heartless are back?" he asked in a quiet, stunned voice.

I looked at him for a second. The look on his face was almost of defeat. Why, though? But that's when it hit me. He was the key bearer. He was the one that had saved everyone. I couldn't believe he was just a boy, coming into manhood. It amazed me that _this _was him! I sat before him, not even realizing who he was until just now.

"You're the key bearer," I said in a voice just as low.

He nodded in response. "And I thought my job was done. I thought I had taken care of the Organization, and the Heartless. I guess not."

"Your job as the key bearer is never done."

We made it to the shore on the residential island, and he lead me a short distance to his house from the beach. It was a comfy little abode, two stories, tan and white with big windows, and lots of glass doors. It was gorgeous. If I could pick a place to live, this is where it would be! I twirled around, looking at all of the beautiful things in his house, the view of the ocean from his back door, and the way the sun light played through all of the windows in each room. It was cool, and comfortable in here, and so welcoming, it almost felt like home.

"Do you have something to change into?" He called from the kitchen.

"Not really, all of my clothes are soaked," I answered.

"I'll throw them in the dryer, and I'll call up a friend to bring you something to wear," he said as he took my back pack off the floor.

After the phone call was made, he led me up to the shower and told me the clothes would be left in a bag outside of the shower. I started the water, and cleaned all of the sand, and salt water out of my hair and off of my hair. A real shower felt so good after being stuck in that ship for so long. I stayed under the hot water for longer than I usually do, just enjoying the luxury while I had the chance. Whenever I was finished, I grabbed my towel, and dried off a bit before grabbing the bag that was right outside the door. It was a pair of athletic shorts, a tank top, and some undergarments in three different sizes. I picked whatever fit the best and brushed my hair. I looked at myself in the mirror and almost sighed with disappointment. I had dark circles under my violet eyes that I knew were from lack of sleep. I pulled my hair back into a bun and headed down stairs.

I saw Sora at the table, with a small girl with long red hair. I couldn't help but wonder who that was. When they head me approach, she looked up and smiled at me. She was quite beautiful. Her eyes were blue as well, but a darker shade, like the sea after a storm. She had beautiful pail skin, and a cute round face with a gorgeous smile.

"So you must be Azreal!" She said cheerfully.

"Yeah, I'm the one that crashed in your ocean," I said with a light laugh.

"I'm Kairi. It's nice to meet you. I hope everything I brought for you fits ok."

I nodded and gave back the things that didn't fit me. No point in keeping them.

"You gonna stay for lunch?" Sora asked Kairi hopefully.

"I can't. Mom asked me to clean the house today, and start dinner in a few hours. If you guys need anything else, just give me a call! I'll see you later!" She hugged us both and left. I plopped down at the table and rubbed my face.

"So, how are we going to go about making a plan?" I asked after a moment of silence.

"I have a Gummi Ship, but it's going to need some work. I haven't used it in a while. From there we need to go to Radiant Gardens, talk to Merlin and the gang, and contact the king. From there, with Donald and Goofy, we need to go get my friend Riku. Hopefully, by the time that's taken care of, we can figure out what's causing all of this. You didn't see any Organization ships did you?" He asked.

I shook my head. "Just the Heartless. It wouldn't be completely unheard of if they were behind it all, though."

A grim silence passed over us as we ate our food. He took me back to the island to look over the ship. The body was rusted, but nothing that couldn't be fixed. There were some damaged parts from hard use. These were things we could get from town. It would hold us over until we got to Radiant Gardens. From there, we could use Cid's airship to get around.

I spoke up about my plans, and Sora was actually surprised. "You know everyone at Radiant Gardens?!"

"Yeah, I was practically raised there," I said with a laugh.

"I can't believe I never met you!"

I shrugged. "Once the darkness started taking worlds, I was sent to Traverse Town to stay there with their supervision. They kept me in a safe house so I wouldn't get hurt. When you fixed all of that mess, I was allowed to travel, and go as I pleased. I was actually on my way there before my ship got attacked."

He nodded, thinking for a moment. "Well, why don't we head back to my house? You look like you could use some rest. It's getting dark anyway. We can start working tomorrow."

I nodded. "It should only take us about a week, maybe two max, to get it finished," I said as we got back in the row boat.

We got back to his house, and plopped onto the couch. He put on some mind numbing television that I was grateful for. I just wanted to lay back and sleep a little. Even if it is just for a few hours. I ended up falling asleep quite fast, and not waking up until the next morning. I found his laundry room, folded my clothes, and put them in my now dry back pack. I grabbed another tank top and some shorts to change into for the day. I knew we were going to be hard at work, me more so than him. I got him up, we ate breakfast and started on our work. I sent him for parts, made him hold things for me, and he was also the lunch fetcher. I knew what I was doing, and poor Sora barely knew the part names!

Our first day of work went pretty well. I got a lot accomplished. If we didn't run into any trouble finding parts, we might be done in no time! After hearing how our progress was, the excitement on Sora's face was just priceless. He had to admit that travelling and saving the world was what he was born to do. It was his destiny, and it would be forever until the day he died.


	2. Chapter 2

The week flew by. Sora and I worked our asses off trying to get the Gummi ship finished. We got along quite well, finding we had become quick friends. We liked some of the same things, and agreed on a lot of different topics. It was nice having someone to talk to after having been by myself for quite a while. I had a friend by my side, and it felt good for once. I did like my solitude, but being in that ship for so long, and going to places where no one knew my name, or anything about me was hard sometimes. I liked seeing all of the different places, and meeting new people, but I never really stayed long enough to really connect with anyone like Sora and I had. He had introduced me to all of the other residents of the island. There was Selfie, Tidus, Wakka, and a couple of others. It was cool being able to play they're strange ball game with them. I enjoyed being able to have fun like a kid again.

After a long day of working hard, and playing with his friends, Sora and I went back to his house to eat dinner. We grabbed some ice cream after our meal, and sat on the beach watching the sun set. He hadn't really delved too much into my personal life since we met, but I suppose tonight was the night to do it. I hadn't really told him much about my past aside from where I grew up, and who I grew up with.

"So how did you end up being taken care of by Leon and the gang?" He asked me out of the blue.

I was a little taken aback by his question, but I answered anyway. "I never really knew my family. I grew up without parents basically. I survived with some of the other homeless children. We stole what we needed to get by. It's just how things were. One day, I was trying to pick pocket some people so we could all buy some fresh bread for once, and have something good to eat. No one ever paid us any attention, so I just picked the first person in the crowd. That person just so happened to be Leon. He snatched my hand out of his pocket, and asked me what I was going. He looked really mean, and it scared me. So I started to cry, an confessed my whole life's story. After that, he took me back to their house, fed me, and Aerith was more than determined to keep me there, give me a home, and warm food every night. Ever since they're been my dysfunctional family."

Sora was silent for a moment, not really sure what to say. I could see it in his face. "Don't you miss them? Your parents, I mean?" He asked.

I shrugged. "How can you miss someone you never knew? Or remember? I don't know their faces, I can't remember their voices. I don't even know what happened to them. The only thing I know is my name. I think my parents gave it to me, but I'm not sure."

He nodded, silent for another moment. "Well, at least you found the right group of people to take care of you!" He retorted cheerfully.

He was right. I was lucky that I attempted to pick Leon's pocket that day. If it hadn't been for that chance encounter, I don't know where or who I would be today. I would assume just another street rat with no munny to my name, not a place to call home, and no real adult to look after me. I'm one of the fortunate few who managed to find a way off the streets, and I was thankful for that.

After our little chat, we decided to head in and go to bed. Tomorrow would be our last day of body work, then we would gather our things and supplies to last us a journey to Radiant Gardens. I was excited to go back home, to see everyone one, and let them know I was ok. I was also excited that I might be involved in the battle to save the world. I was 18 years old. It's about time they let me do some things for myself. I trained my body and my mind as often as I could while I was away. I worked out, made myself strong, and made sure I would be ready for almost anything that would come my way. My weapon of choice wouldn't really get me very far, but maybe Leon and Cloud could help me find something that might be more fitting than just a small dagger.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

The next day went by quickly. I finished patching up the rest of the holes, and sanded out the rest of the erosion that had occurred while it sat in the little lean to. It was poorly built, letting water get in when it rained. It wasn't the prettiest looking thing ever, but it would get us where we needed to be. The next step was to make the fuel to get us there. We made our way to the parts store on the island. Sora followed me around while I grabbed all of the necessary ingredients. The next stop was the gas station. We got ourselves a big gas canto fill up, and headed on our way. It was a beautiful day and the thought of leaving such a gorgeous place almost made me really sad. I told myself I would be back some day, when all of this fighting was over. This is where I would want to spend the rest of my life, sitting on a beach with my friend, sipping smoothies.

When all of the fuel supplies were gathered, we made it back to the other island, and I started mixing in a huge bucket.

"This will be enough?" He asked as he watched me.

I nodded, "Yup, it'll get us where we need to go. From there we can get the air ship. We won't need this thing anymore. At least not for a while. If all of us are going to be traveling together, then the air ship will be the better option. Even the largest Gummi ship can only seat 5. There are going to be way more than 5 of us going. It'll be enough and a little more to get to Radiant Gardens."

I finished the mixture, poured it in, and we headed back to Sora's house to start gathering our things. We got ourselves showered, clothes washed and packed, food gathered up, and a first-aid kit ready just in case. He wrote a letter to Kairie, telling her that he would be back. I thought it was sweet that he cared so much for her. I guess they had known each other for a while, but I couldn't help but feel like there was more to it. Like he was in love with her, and maybe she with him. There was something more there than just friendship. At least on his part. I hadn't been around her long enough to really see how she felt.

Unlike most teens my age, I had never had a boyfriend. I was never in one place long enough. While it would be nice to have someone, I had never been fortunate enough to find someone that I liked enough to even consider dating. Maybe that made me weird. I didn't really see people that way. Not anyone. I didn't know what love felt like, or even having a crush on someone. I guess I was a weird one. Sora was lucky enough to have been in on place long enough to know what that felt like. In a way, it made me feel deprived of an aspect of my life that I should have had. When I lived with Leon, I was busy reading books, learning to defend myself, and learning how to do magic. I know a lot of kids spent their time going to school, but I had all the schooling I needed. I learned to read and write from those around me. Leon, Cloud, Aerith, Yuffie, Cid, and Merlin were my teachers. It made me wonder what having a "normal" life was really like.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/

We woke up early the next morning to avoid running into people he knew, asking too many questions. He had dropped the letter in Kairi's mail box late last night, and we were on our way. We loaded up the boat to get to the Gummi, making a couple of trips to get everything ready. It was mostly food we were taking in case we ran into any snags along the way. Any type of canned item that could be saved for a while was emptied from his house. We took everything we could even think to eat. We had fruits, vegetables, canned meat, tuna, anything that was eatable really. It ended up being quite a few bags, but you could never be too sure.

We got everything loaded up, and took our seats. "I hope you remember how to fly this thing," I said with a chuckle.

"Of course I do! It hasn't been that long since I've flown!" he retorted, starting up the ship.

It was a little rough going, "turning the key" a couple of times to get it to finally start. The ascent was also a bit rough, but we managed to smooth ourselves out. I was actually afraid my mixture would be wrong, and take off wouldn't happen at all. I, however, was an awesome genius that knew everything would be right! Hah! We left behind Destiny Islands, and started on our travels, the map pointing us in the direction of our location. It told us we have 3 hours to kill until then!

We ended up turning on the autopilot so we could catch an extra hour of sleep. We had been awake since before the sun came up. I couldn't remember the last time I had been awake that early. Sora had looked like he had just ran a marathon, stayed up for three days straight, and just kept on going. He needed the extra rest. I let him sleep for two hours, manning the ship until his name was over. He ended up waking up a half hour before I was going to.

"Has it been an hour yet?" He asked with a yawn.  
"Passed, actually. I was going to let you sleep for a half hour longer. You looked like you could use the rest," I replied.

"You know, Ozzy, you didn't have to do that for me."

I simply shrugged. "Don't worry, I took over the controls while you were asleep. I know how to fly, too!" I joked.

We sat silent for a little while, just enjoying each other's company. Sora still looked like he was about to just pass out at the wheel, but he kept it up pretty well. I admired his strength and determination. Maybe he hadn't slept all that well in the past week. He did have a bit to worry about, now that I thought about it. The poor kid had to leave behind everything he once knew for the second time. It couldn't be very easy on him at all. However, in an effort to keep him awake, I decided to get him talking.

"So, Sora, how come Riku isn't with you guys? You and Kairi I mean," I asked.

He rubbed his face, trying to not look as tired as he had just a moment ago. "Well, I don't know if you heard, but he had become part of the darkness when it took over our island. Maleficent managed to dig her claws into him. He even ended up stealing Kairi's heart too. I thought I had saved him, but someone had found me in bad shape when I closed the door to Kingdom Hearts. He managed to get himself mostly out of the darkness, but it had transformed him. Luckily after we _thought _we had finished with the organization, he transformed back to his old self again. He's been trying to purify his heart. I haven't really gotten to see him since I came home. He stayed for about a month, but he was having some problems adjusting, so he left. I really do miss him though."

"Wow, sounds like he's had a bit of a rough ride," I admitted.

Sora nodded. "Yeah. He was supposed to be the original Key Bearer, but once he turned himself over to the darkness, it chose me instead."

"That doesn't make you feel guilty?" I covered my mouth when I had realized what I said. "I'm so sorry. You don't have to answer that!"

He just shrugged. "It kind of does, but the way we both see it is, things happen for a reason. He's able to have his own keyblade now. Kairi has one too. It is nice knowing that for once in our lives, I got to be the one to save him. I think he always thought of himself as better than me in a lot of things, but now I know he sees us as equals. That does make me happy, knowing we now stand on equal ground."

"I could see that. Do you think he'll be ready when we find him?"

Once again, he shrugged. "I really don't know. I'm hoping he'll be able to fight with us. He's a strong fighter. I need him by myself. I managed before without him. When I had the chance to really fight alongside him, I just thought to myself how much easier this journey would be if he had been on my side the whole time. If the heartless are back and stronger than before, then I am going to need him. Kairi too. Even if I don't want to live with the regret that I put her in danger, should something happen to her."

I put my hand on his shoulder. "I know your story. I know a lot of what happened. Kairi had her heart stolen, and she's still alive because of you. She fought by your side, and she's alive. She's strong; I can feel it in her. And if the keyblade chose her as well, she's got to be a strong person. She'll be fine. She has you, me, Riku, Donald, Goofy, Leon, Cloud, Yuffie, and Aerith to help her should she need it. Don't worry about her. She'll be fine."

"I guess you're right. I just get so worried about her getting hurt. I didn't even want to leave her on the island, but for right now, I had to. Where Riku went, it's a dangerous place. I really don't think she would be able to deal with it all. She's just as close to Riku as I am. I couldn't stand to see her get hurt. Not in a place like that."

I didn't know where Riku had gone, but it didn't seem like too nice of a place. However, from my understanding, Riku was a year older than me and had gone through so much himself, that if he thought he needed to be there, then that's where he needed to be. I could see the love Sora held for them both. It sucked to see him be so worried about them. I wish I could relate in some way. I had been surrounded by people that knew how to take care of themselves. I would be just as scared if something could or would've happened to the gang while I had been away, but Aerith was the best healer I knew. Not to mention Cloud and Leon were the best fighters I had ever seen. We had a good team backing us up.

After our talk, it only took us a few minutes to get to Radiant Gardens. We parked the ship, grabbed our bags, and made our way to Merlin's house. I was so excited and giddy. As soon as I stepped off the ship, it took almost every ounce of self-control I had not to just run. When Sora noticed my sudden attitude change, and the way I was, he told me to go, he would catch up with me. With the ok in mind, I took off. I flew through the streets, dodging people, jumping over obstacles in my way, everything. Finally, I made it to the house, knocked twice and threw open the door.

"Guys! I'm home!" I shouted at the top of my lungs.

Everyone came running out of their respective hiding places to see me. I got hugs and playful punches. It was the best. It felt like forever since I had been home. I missed everyone so much! Even grumpy old Cid seemed happy to see me! That was a first!

"Ozzy! We weren't expecting you back for a few more months!" Yuffie said excitedly.

"I know, but I ran into some trouble," I admitted.

"What happened?" Leon and Cloud threw on their serious faces.

"Well, you see, I managed to get attacked. And I sort of crash landed my Gummi ship. I then managed to meet up with someone you'll never expect to see." Just as I finished my sentence, Sora walked through the door with a sheepish smile.

"Uh-oh. Heartless?" Leon asked right off the bat.

"Gee, I kind of expected a happy reunion like Ozzy got!" Sora said with a small chuckle.

"It's the Heartless," I retorted grimly.

"Is Riku with you?" Cloud asked.

Sora shook his head. "We have to go get him. We still have to alert the king, get Donald, Goofy, and Kairi. We're not picking her up until after we have Riku. I don't want her going to that place." He had a firm tone to his voice that didn't allow any room for arguing.

The looks on their faces said they all agreed with him. I had a feeling they all knew just what kind of place Riku was in. It worried me a little, but I would handle myself. I had faith that everything would just fine and dandy.

"We'll contact the King, and tell him to bring Donald and Goofy with him. We'll make sure the message is urgent and tell him that he needs to get here right away," Cloud said as he was already walking away from the group.

"Why don't you guys get settled in?" Aerith said.

That was invitation enough for me. I grabbed my bag and headed upstairs to my room. I opened the door at the top of the steps and looked around. It was just as I had left it, only it was a little cleaner than last time. I had the feeling Aerith had been in here to dust, and tidy things up. I started putting my clothes away, knowing that it would be a while before I could continue on with my life style, and Sora could go back home.


End file.
